Traction-engine.



O. MUG. COX.

TRAGTION ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED MAM. 1910.

1,061,453. Patented May 13,1913.

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0l MOG. COX.

TRAGTION ENGINE.

APPLIGATIQN FILED 11H4. 1910.

1,061,453. l Patented May 13, 1913.

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0. MCG. 00X.

TRACTION ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED MM4,19104 1,061,453. Patented May 13, 1913.

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itlNlTED T UFFltCE.

OSCAR MGGRUDER COX, F PLAINVIEW, TEXAS.

TRACTION-ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Ossau McGaum-at Cox, citizen oit thc United States, residing at Plainview, in the county ot llale and State ot Texas, have invented a new and usetful Tractioli-Engine, ot' which the it'ollowing is a specitieation.

This invention relates to imprm'ements in traction engines and has ttor its object the reduction of the number ot parts so as to decrease the dead weight oit the engine and consequently ett'ccti a more economical con sumption of fuel and power than has heretofore been possible.

A further object of the invention is to produce a traction engine in which the traction wheel will be mounted on a crank shatt actu ated directly from the engine cylinder so that 'there will be no loss ot' power through a long train ot friction creating intermediate gearing.

A further object ot the invention is to provide an e't'licient steering mechanism, and also to provide simple means whereby the machine may be held against traveling in order to utilize its power t'or the driving ol a threshing machine or for other purposes.

The several stated objects, and such other objects as will hereinafter incidentally appear, are attained in the use of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and the invent-ion consists in certain novel :features thereof which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in Athe appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation ot a traction engine provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the boiler removed. Fig. is a detail side elevation of the lower portion oit the machine illustrating the manner oit' lifting the traction wheel from the ground in order that the machine may be maintained in one place and utilized to actuate machinery. Fig. 4t is a detail view of the steering mechanism, showing one side in vertical section and the other side in front elevation. Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section ot the steering mechanism. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a shoe or prop intended for use in holding the traction wheel ott the ground.

The main frame oft the engine consists of side beams l, connected by transverse beams Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Maytag. 1910.

Patented May 13, 1913. Serial No. 559,279.

Q, and inner longitudinal beams 3 extending :troni the innermost transverse beam 2 parallel with and adjacent the side beams l, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2. The engine cylinders t are secured to and supported by the front ends of the beams l and 3 and are provided with steam chests 5 on their outer sides which communicmte through 'feed pipes with the boiler 7 which is supported on the main frame in any convenient manner.

Tn the arrangement illustrated in the drawings, the tire box at the rear end of the boiler will be bolted to the frame and support the rear end ott the boiler, while the liront end oit the boiler will be supported by a truss S rising 'trom the beams l and 3 near the t1-ont ends o't" the same. The exhaust pipes t) lead from the steam chests up through the 'tront end ot? the boiler to the smokestack tt) so as to creat i a :torced dra'tt through the combustion chamber, and a branch 1t et the exhaust pipe leads to a reservoir or water tank l2 to return the water ot' condensation thereto, an intermediate portion ot the said branch lll passing through the teed water heater 1,3 on the side ot the boiler so as to raise the temperature of the said feed water betere it is admitted to the boiler. The water for supplying the boiler is drawn from the tank or reservoir l2 through a pipe llt connected therewith and leading to a pump which is operated by steam it'rom the boiler and serves to draw the water from the tank and force the same through the heater 18 into the boiler. A cab 16 is indicated in dotted lilies in Fig. l to `protect the engineer from the weather.

The pistons ot the engines 4t have their respective piston rods '17 connected to cross heads` 1S which are slidablxmounted between and supported by the beams l and 3, and a guido plate 3 arranged below the saine, as shown in Fig. 3. A connecting rod it) extends t'rom each cross head to a crank Q0 on the driving shat't 2t which also constitutes' the axle itior the traction wheel 2 2 which is rigidly secured to the said shaft at the center ot" the same. The cranks extend itrom the sha'tt at ditii'erent angles. The cutotl' valve which controls the flow ot steam through the steam chest has its stein Q3 extendingthrough a guide 24 on the side of the beam t, and the oi'iter end of the said stein is pivotally coimected to a connecting Y man 27 through the cam or eccentric 28 and thereby oscillate the plate 2G so that the connecting rod 25 will reciprocate the valve stem 23 and thereby actuate the cut-olf valve in the steam chest to alternately admit the steam to opposite ends of the cylinder in the well known manner. The slide 30, to which the rear end o f the connecting rod 25 is pivoted, is mounted within the groove of the plate 26 and to the said block is secured a link 31 extending up to and connected with a crank arm 32 extending from a rock 'shaft 33 which is journaled in suitable supports on the under side of the boiler. A crank arm 34 projects upward from the said rock shaft at the side of the boiler and is connected by a rod 35 with a lever 36mounted within the cab of the engine and held in any adjusted position by engagement. with an ordinary rack 37. rThis lever 3G will transmit motion through the rod 35 and crank arm 34 to the rock shaft 33 so as to raise or lowerv the slide 30 through its connections with the crank arm 32 and link 31. When the slide is at o-ne end of the plate 26 the engine will travel in one direction, lout if the several elements be actuated to bring the slide to the opposite end of the plate, the engine will be reversed and will travel in the opposite direction.

It will be observed, upon reference to Fig. 2,. that I provide an engine at each side of the machine and each engine is coupled directly to the driving shaft on which the traction wheel is mounted. In this manner I am enabled to support the engine on a single traction wheel arranged inthe longitudinal center of the machine and positively actua-te the said wheel, even while the engine is turning a corner or describing curves, without-any liability` of bending or breaking the axle or driving shaft and without employing any complicated compensating gears or any long train of gearing.

Between the front ends of the engine cylinders and to the inner sides of the same, I pivotally secure a prop or supporting frame 38 which is normally held in a raised position between the cylinders by means of a cable 39 attached thereto and extending back to a point within the cab where it is secured to a controlling lever 40. When it is desired to arrest the travel of the traction engine and couple the same to a threshing machine, or otherwise utilize the power created by the engine, the lever 40 is thrown forward so as to release the prop or supporting frame 38which will thereupon drop to the position illustrated and rest upon the ground. point upon the frame may then be engaged over a pin 42 on the prop to hold the prop firmly in its upright position. In order to lift the rear end of the machinery and thereby raise the traction wheel 22 from the ground, I provide cylinders 43, at the outer ends of a cross beam or yoke 44, to which steam may be admitted through pipes 45 conununicating with the steam space of the boiler and controlled by a valve 46 within the cab. Pistons 47, mounted within the cylinders 43, have their rods 48 extended through the lower ends of the cylinders and equipped with yokes 49 between the lower ends of which the steering wheels 50 are mounted. When steam is admitted to the upper ends of the cylinders 43, the pistons will be driven downward and, the wheels 50 being upon the ground, the rear end of the main frame, with the machinery resting thereon, will be raised so that the traction wheel will be lifted from the ground and further operation of the engines will consequently not cause the machine to travel.

Vilhen the rear end of the main frame has been raised to the desired extent, as indicated in Fig. 3, shoes 51, which are loosely pivoted upon the cross beam 44, are swung downward and their lower forked ends 52 A latch 41 pivoted at a convenient Y carried over the yoke 49 so as to rest therey on and engage the piston rod 48 whereby the collapse or dropping of the frame, when the steam pressure in the cylinder 43 is reduced, will be prevented. When these shoes are not in use, Athey are held in their upper position, as shown in Fig. 4, by means of keepers 53 which are pivoted upon the cross beam or truss 44 and are adapted to engage the lower edge of the shoe, as will be readily understood. It will be understood, of course` that the shoes 51 have forked ends in order to fit around the piston rods 48 and thereby obtain a firm bearing on the upper ends of the yokes.

To the outer sides of the yokes 49, which carry the steering wheels 50, I pivot the ends of rearwardly projecting forked levers 54 which are provided with longitudinal slots 55 receiving the ends of pins 56 at the ends of a coupling rod 57. The ends of the coupling rod 57 play through longitudinal slots 58 in the lever 54, arranged at right angles to and intersecting the slots 55 in the said levers.l The horizontally disposed slots 58 permit the ends of the sliding coupling bar 57 to move through the levers 54 as the same are swung to one side, while the vertical slots 55 engage the pins 56 so that the lat- `eral movement of the coupling rod, relative to the traction engine, will be transmitted to the levers 54 to actuate the same and thereby turn the yokes 49 upon the piston rods 4S as centers and, consequently, vary the angle ot' the steering wheels relative to the longitudinal line oi the machine and thereby cause the machine to turn to either side, as may be desired.

In order that the steering wheels may more etliectually perform their functions, I prefer to it'orm central annular ribs 59 thereon which will take into the ground and thereby mo-re completely cause a lateral movement of the machine to change the line of travel. The coupling rod 57 is slidably mounted in suitable bearings in the main frame and is caused to move transversely in the said bearings by a hand wheel G0, on the upper end of a steering post 6l around which is wrapped a cable G2 secured to the said steering post and having its ends secured to the coupling rod 57 at opposite sides of the steering post. It will thus be readily seen that by rotating the hand wheel, the coupling rod .will be caused to slide to one side and, consequently, turn the steering wheels so as to cause the traction engine to travel in the desired direction.

In order that the power oit the traction engine may be transmitted to driven machinery when the engine has been raised from the ground, as indicated in Fig. 3, I provide a band pulley (33 on the end ol the driving shaft Q1 which may be connected by a suitable belt, with a band pulley (Bt on one end of a countershaft G5 jonrnaled in suitable bearings on the under side ot the boiler and having a combined fly wheel and transmitting pulley 6G on its opposite end. A belt may be placed around the fly wheel G6 and 'arried to the threshing machine or other apparatus which itis desired to operate. It the traction wheel should drop into a hole, or the travel oit' the apparatus be otherwise impeded, the obstruction may be overcome by admitting steam to the cylinders 43 without lowering the prop 38 or stoppingl the engines. The steering wheels will then act as a At'ulcrum from which a lifting impulse will be applied to the trame which will enable the traction wheel to quickly clear the obstruction. A governor (37 is provided to regulate the speed of the engine, and this governor is connected with the steam pipe G and actuated by a belt 68 and pulleys 69 and 70, as shown.

The advantages of the construction and oit the method ot operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle ot operation oit' the invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope o't" the claims appended hereto.

.Having thus described my invent ion, what. I claim is:-

l. A traction engine provided with a boiler elongated in the direction ot' the length ot' the engine, steering wheels at one end ot the traction engine, a traction wheel in substantially the longitudimil center lint` ot the boiler and underneath said boiler and located between the ends o'l the boiler, and driving engines tor the traction wheels located at that end ot the boiler and side ot the traction wheel remote itrom the steering Wheels.

2. A traction engine provided with a boiler, steering wheels at one end ot the traction engine and power engines at thc other end ot.f the traction engine, and a traction wheel located in substantially thc longitudinal center line ot the boiler underneath the same and intermediate ot' the power engines and steering wheels, said power engines being connect'ml to the traction wheel i'or driving the same.

i3. A tractitm engin-e provided with a supporting frame carrying steering wheels adjacent one end and driving engines adjacent the other end, a traction wheel mounted in substantially the longitudinal center line ot the trame between the driving engines and the steering wheels and connected to the engines tor actuation therclrv, and a boiler elongated in the direction ol the length ot' the ti'rz'une and supported .thereby in overriding relation to the 'traine above the traction wheel and engine, the boiler extending beyond the traction wheel to substantially that end ot the 'trame carrying the engines.

-t. AA traction engine provided with a main frame, a driving shali't mounted transversely thereof, a single traction wheel secured to said driving sha'l't in substantially the center line oi. the main trame` power engines carried by the 'liront end ot the main `trame at the sides thereo't and directly connected to the driving shaft` and a boiler elongated in the direction ot the length of the 'traine and supported thereon directly above and in overriding relation to the traction wheel and also above the power engines, the traction wheel being located nearer to the middle portion oit the traction engine than the power engines.

5. In a traction engine, the combinationv with a main trame and boiler, a driving sha'ltmounted on the 'frame below the boiler and provided with cranks, a traction wheel mounted on the sha'tt between the cranks and located directly luiderneath the boiler, and power engines mounted on the frame below the boiler and having their piston rods connected directly to the cranks of the said shaft, the traction engine having y spaced relation to the latter other supporting means than the traction wheel in spaced relation to the latter and the boiler and power engines overhanging the traction wheel beyond that side of the latter remote fromA said other supporting` means. f

6. In a traction engine, the combination with a main frame and boiler, a driving shaft mounted on the frame and provided with cranks at opposite sides of the center, a traction wheel mounted on the said shaft between the cranks and disposed directly underneath the boiler in the median line of the machine, and power engines mounted on the frame at opposite sides of and below the boiler and having their piston rods connected directly to the cranks of the said shaft, the traction engine having other supporting means than the traction wheel in and the boiler and Vpower engines overhanging the traction wheel beyond that side thereof remote from said other supporting means.

7. In a traction engine, the combination with a main frame and boiler, a driving 'shaft mounted on the frame below the boiler and provided with cranks near each end, a traction'wheel mounted on the driving shaft between the said cranks and disposed directly underneath the boiler, en-

gines mounted on the frame at each side of and lower than the boiler and having their steam chests on the outer sides of the cylinders, piston rods leading from the cylinders the cranks of 'the driving shaft, and direct connections between the ends of the said shaft with the valves in the steam chests for actuating the same. y

8. ln a traction engine, the combination with a 'main frame and boiler, a driving shaft mounted on the frame below the boiler and provided with cranks, a traction wheel mounted on the driving shaft and disposed directly underneath the boiler, vengines mounted on the frame below the boiler' and having their steam chests on the outer sides of the cylinders, piston rods leading from the cylinders and connected directly with the cranks of the driving shaft, valve rods extending from the steam chests and connected directly with the end of the driving shaft, and a band wheel on the eXtreme end of said shaft.

9. ln a traction engine structure, a boiler, steering wheels located at one end of the structure, and a traction wheel and driving means therefor located at the other end of the structure with the traction wheel in the longitudinal center line of the boiler, substantially intermediate of the length of the boiler and wholly underneath said boiler and all the driving members being located at a lower level than the bottom of the boiler.

ln testimony, that l claim the foregoing as my own, l have heretoafhxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OSCAR MOGRUDER CGK.

litnesses 'Jol-1N H. Sieenas, DAviD R. WAGNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents hach, by addressing-the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 11,0. 

